Waldichuk extends scoreless streak
No one in baseball this season has been more unhittable than Ken Waldichuk.
The 27th-ranked Yankees prospect extended his Minor League-best scoreless streak to 30 2/3 innings while taking a no-hit bid into the sixth on Friday night. The left-hander worked around a hit and three walks to fan 10 over six frames in High-A Hudson Valley's 8-0 blanking of Brooklyn at Maimonides Park.
Waldichuk reached double-digit strikeouts for the third time this season and has yet to yield a run over his seven starts. The longest scoreless streak in the Majors to start the 2021 campaign (for qualified starters) belongs to Joe Musgrove who went 18 1/3 frames without allowing a run for the Padres. It's worth mentioning, Lance Lynn went 19 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run for the White Sox.
Against the potent Cyclones lineup, Waldichuk worked into and out of a jam in the opening frame. After whiffing the leadoff batter, the southpaw walked a pair and saw both runners move into scoring position on a wild pitch with one out. However, the 23-year-old punched out the side to escape the inning unscathed.
The St. Mary's product issued the final walk of his outing with one out in the second, but was aided by a 3-6 double play that erased the runner and ended the inning. That set off a streak of retiring 11 straight batters. The only other blemish on the night for Waldichuk was a single to right from Antoine Duplantis which ended his no-hit bid with one out in the sixth. Waldichuk still ended his outing the way he started it -- by striking out the side. The 2019 fifth-round Draft pick was pulled after tossing 84 pitches -- 54 were strikes.
The top three Mets hitting prospects -- Francisco Alvarez (No. 1), Ronny Mauricio (No. 2) and Brett Baty (No. 4) -- combined to go 0-for-6 against Waldichuk with a walk and five whiffs.
Waldichuk is now sporting a 0.82 WHIP and .120 average against with 55 strikeouts and 13 walks over 30 2/3 frames this season.